''Mahonia pinnata'' (

syn. The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. * In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linnae ...

''Berberis pinnata'') is a species of

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

in the

barberry family The Berberidaceae are a family of 18 genera of flowering plants commonly called the barberry family. This family is in the order Ranunculales. The family contains about 700 known species, of which the majority are in '' Berberis''. The species ...

. Common names include California barberry, wavyleaf barberry, and shinyleaf mahonia. It is similar to the

Oregon-grape ''Mahonia aquifolium'', the Oregon grape or holly-leaved barberry, is a species of flowering plant in the family Berberidaceae, native to western North America. It is an evergreen shrub growing tall and wide, with pinnate leaves consisting of sp ...

(''Mahonia aquifolium''), and is sometimes called the California Oregon-grape. It is native to the west coast of North America from British Columbia to Baja California, where it occurs in forest, woodland,

chaparral Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant community and geographical feature found primarily in the U.S. state of California, in southern Oregon, and in the northern portion of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. It is shaped by a Mediterranean c ...

, and other habitat.

Description

''Mahonia pinnata'' is a dark green bush which resembles holly with its serrated leaves. It has one to two inch long clusters of small yellow flowers.Van Atta, S. (2009). The Southern California Native Flower Garden: A Guide to Size, Bloom, Foliage, Color, and Texture. Gibbs Smith: Santa Barbara. The fruit is a sour but edible purple

berry A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, raspb ...

with many seeds.

Uses

The ''Mahonia pinnata'' fruits have also been used to produce purple

dye A dye is a colored substance that chemically bonds to the substrate to which it is being applied. This distinguishes dyes from pigments which do not chemically bind to the material they color. Dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution an ...

. The shrub is used in landscaping as an ornamental plant. Songbirds eat the berries.

Conservation

One subspecies of this plant is very rare and is federally listed as an

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

. It is known only from Santa Cruz Island, one of the Channel Islands of California, where it is known from 13 or fewer individuals.Center for Plant Conservation

Etymology

''Mahonia'' is named for Bernard McMahon (1775-1816), an American horticulturist.Gledhill, David (2008). "The Names of Plants". Cambridge University Press. (hardback), (paperback). pp 248, 303 ''Pinnata'' means 'set in two opposite rows' or 'pinnate', and is a reference in this case to the arrangement of the leaflets.

References

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment - ''Mahonia pinnata''''Mahonia pinnata'' - Photo gallery
pinnata Flora of Baja California Flora of British Columbia Flora of the West Coast of the United States Medicinal plants Bird food plants Garden plants of North America Drought-tolerant plants Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Ranunculales-stub